The Lovers

Kelly Johnson // bride

A Minnesotan-turned-Californian-turned-Minnesotan-again who lives for donuts, open-toed shoes, and science fiction, Kelly downloaded Hinge on a trip home in the summer of 2021 just to “see what the Minneapolis/St. Paul dating pool was like;” and the rest, as they say, is history. In addition to co-authoring the overall vision for the Jolson wedding, Kelly can be held responsible for the floral arrangements, generally keeping things organized / on schedule, and the design of this very website.

Paul Olson // groom

A former Wisconsin farm boy who loves French bordeaux, Star Trek, and the pyramids of Egypt, Paul let his intuition lead him to ask a gal from L.A. who he’d been chatting with via text for over a week if she’d take a chance on meeting him in person before heading back to California. He so impressed her with 90 minutes of calamari, rosé, and good conversation that she couldn’t help but fly back to see him again three weeks later. (They’ve been inseparable ever since.) In addition to collaborating on the overall vision for the event, Paul is responsible for the music, getting people out to see Joshua Tree, and trying not to cry.

And their friends (and family)

  • Aaron Pope

    BFF OF THE GROOM // Owner of dance floors

    This foil of the groom and lover of strange humor is tasked with giving a speech that is equal parts touching and chaotic. We trust he will know intuitively which stories to share with the group, and which to keep buried forevermore.

  • Carruthers Brothers

    NEPHEWS OF THE BRIDE // Flower boys

    Tate (7), Kieran (5), and Jamie (2) will be responsible for the decoration of the aisle for their Aunt Kelly and Uncle Paul (a.k.a. “Candycam”) to walk down, while bringing up the cuteness factor of the wedding by astronomical amounts.

  • Craig Johnson

    FATHER OF THE BRIDE // Master of wine

    When the drink selection is poor, you can count on Craig to color outside the lines until the good stuff is flowing freely. Our generous co-benefactor of this wine-filled event will also be responsible for saying a few words and quite possibly dancing “the pretzel” with the bride.

  • David Thompson

    FRIEND OF THE GROOM // Master of ceremonies

    A trusted friend of the bride and groom, David will serve as our inspirational spiritual leader, guiding us through the ceremony with ease and discreetly handing Paul tissues.

  • Hilary Carruthers

    SISTER OF THE BRIDE // Mother of dragons

    Preceeding her younger sister in marriage by 10.5 years, Hilary is responsible for imparting inspiring words of wisdom to the bride and will likely be found shutting down the dance floor with her husband, Tuck, before returning to their dragon nest.

  • Jason Reinen

    “BROTHER” OF THE GROOM // Father of albinos

    Though not the actual brother of the groom, their shared near 100% pure Norwegian DNA suggests otherwise. Jason and his wife, Jen, will be responsible for toeing the line between having a good time and getting the police called to shut down the party (like at their own wedding…).

  • Jess Kane

    BFF OF THE BRIDE // Best dressed hype woman

    The bride’s extremely stylish bestie and her husband, Justin, will be responsible for leveling up the fashion grade point average of the wedding by a full point and making sure at least one Taylor Swift song is played on the dance floor.

  • Karli Rybak

    BFF OF THE BRIDE // Party starter

    Without Karli, would we even be here? Karli (who met her husband, Mike, on Tinder) is credited with giving Kelly the idea to give Hinge a try in a city she didn’t (yet) live in. As Karli so wisely said, “What do you have to lose?!”

  • Keith & Cindy Olson

    PARENTS OF THE GROOM // Dwellers of the UP

    Endless thanks are bestowed upon the parents of the groom by the bride for birthing such a special unicorn of a son, without whom this perfect union would not be possible.

  • LuAnne Johnson

    MOTHER OF THE BRIDE // Lover of logistics

    What better person is there to put in charge of important logistics? An extremely special thank you to LuAnne for chasing down our caterer, undoubtedly making a few last-minute decisions with ease, and for being a major benefactor of our event (without whom this event would not be even remotely possible).

  • Pyramidion "Pig" Olson

    DOGTER OF THE GROOM // Sitter of laps

    Given her propensity to pee a little when excited, this little pig/lamb/dog/cat is unfortunately not allowed at the wedding, but she will be holding down the fort in Minnesota while her parents are away.